Tom,

Remove what bolts you can with the wrenches, cut the heads from the
remaining bolts and slip the CV off. Once the pressure is off the head,
the bolt shaft can be more easily unscrewed.

On problem bolts on the out-board CV, where is is more difficult to get
at, drill out the head with a bit that is the same size or just a size
under the bolt shaft size. You only have to weaken the metal right where
the shaft begins at the bolt head. Once done, a good twist with a pair
of vice-grips or the like, and the head will pop right off. Then the CV
will just slip right off, and the bolt shaft can be unscrewed.

Regards,

John Rodgers
88 GL Driver

Tom Young wrote:

>Hi all:
>
>Removing CV bolts today, got over-confident and rounded out one of the
>Allen-head bolts.  Thank goodness it was on the trans side.  Since I'm going
>to remove the trans anyway I can just drill out the head of the bolt and
>deal with the stub later.  But, I'd kind of like to see if I *can* get the
>bolt out properly.
>
>I've seen suggestions to use vice-grips.  Frankly, I've never had much
>success with the vice-grip method and, given how tight these bolts are
>seated, I'm not too optimistic about that method.
>
>I've seen suggestions to use a 1/4" Allen-head socket and pound it into the
>rounded-over head of the bolt.  Since I'm going to re-use the CV joints, and
>not disassemble them upon removal, I'm a little leery of the "pound it in"
>method.
>
>Has anybody tried carefully cutting a "slot" in the head, like the slot in a
>screw head, and removing the bolt with an appropriate "screwdriver?"  (I
>have screwdriver-head sockets, so I can get good leverage on the bolt that
>way.)  Just figure it's a logical thing to try, but maybe somebody else had
>tried it, and can comment on how it works?
>
>TIA.
>
>
>---------------------------------------------------------------
>Tom Young                       '81 Vanagon
>Lafayette, CA 94549         '82 Westfalia
>---------------------------------------------------------------
>
>
>